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Los Niños de Izanami: Inicialización
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Enter...Father and Son, a Vacation? Getting Acquainted Kukkyona was inhaling the foreign scent of the city as they began walking through the almost eerily reminscent city of one in the World of the Living's current ones,Yūrei Ōkoku. Its cars and use of technology was somewhat out of place for the Soul Reaper Captain, and seeing that he was also wearing most probably out of fashion, as he was in his traditional garments, wearing a brown cloak instead of his usual Soul Reaper uniform with a beige hakama skirt with black sandals, his Zanpakuto fitted on either side, their matching identical features shown vaguely through his folds, making sure they weren't on display like he would if he was in the Seireitei. For now, he was not in the guise of a Captain of the Gotei 13 on official business. He was a father, having a get-away retreat with his son, who was currently not as composed as him, looking at all the probably alien sights to his younger eyes, as he looked around, wearing his own set of a white coat with a black hakama, also sporting a nearly concealed Zanpakuto of his own on his red sash, his headband securely fastened around his head unwilling to part with the memento. "Stop ogling everything that sparkles...we already stick out, but try to at least have some dignity," Kukkyona chided, as the two of them parted through the a oncoming crowd, drawing a few stares and smiles of the residents as they passed, Daisuke smiling back in return, even waving, earning a slightly sigh from Kukkyona. He can act like such a child in public, he inwardly lamented as he redirected his gaze up ahead. "I can't help it, father. This place is so amazing! I can't believe this place is actually in the realm of the Soul Society, but isn't part of the World of the Living. I feel almost old fashioned looking like this," as he pointedly waved his arms over his attire, and slightly eyeing his own father's attire. "We may be tourists here, but we will not cast away the pride in our culture's image due to our alien appearance to them. Keep that in mind while here, we still have pride in our status as members of the Hayate Noble House, and as my duty as Head of that House, you should remember your place while we are here," he said, scolding him for his complaints of their sticking out. "I-I...understand father," he sighed as he slightly pouted his lips before tightening them, as he redirected his eyes from some local law enforcement, barely recognizing the widely used Kido guns holstered on their hips in a pistol form, and looked back straight ahead whispering almost back to his father, "when do we find a place to stay? Walking aimlessly will only draw so much attention, even if that's the whole reason being here." "Be patient...there's a hotel up ahead, or so I hear them call it. We'll book the rooms we were reserved and then take the itenerary then," he said, only turning his gaze to his son and making eye contact with him briefly before turning back straight ahead, walking dignified and purposely towards the hotel up ahead, where they would be settled in for the duration of their stay. It was a matter of time, however, before they attracted the attention of a certain worker. "You two! Hold it!" The commanding voice of a female could be heard behind them. Sure enough, there was also footsteps sounding from behind them. If they turned around, they could see a cloaked figure walking briskly towards them with its hood off. A woman's head with orange hair and blue eyes could be seen exposed with a rather stern expression on their face. Daisuke had the physically restrain himself from being star struck by the 'beautiful' woman who came toward them, even though bearing a stern look, he only admired the deep blue eyes glaring at both of them, and how absolutely smooth her orange hair looked draped up and over her back, even resting on her black cloak about her shoulders. He almost caught himself staring when he suddenly heard the brisk but polite voice of his father, blushing slightly before returning a smile at the woman before her. "I am sorry milady, but what seems to be the problem? My son and I were about to enter the hotel just ahead before we toured the city. Is there something the matter?" At the end of his sentence, the woman stopped in front of him, her eyes now cast onto the figure of the older man. It was a natural move to direct attention to the oldest, as they served to understand more out of the situation. "Depends on how you take it. You see, new faces don't get to wander around freely. You here to stay, or are you here for the scenic route?" Her tone was clearly a naturally outspoken one, although she kept it to a level where it would not agitate the two in particular. "We're here to take in the sights actually. I'm Kukkyona Hayate, and this is my son, Daisuke Hayate," Kukkyona spoke in a cool, calm tone, trying to be polite to the well-to-do police officer that was questioning them, slightly tilting his head to the side where Daisuke stood who was anxious to introduce himself to her, smiling brightly back. He even went as far as extending his hand, the slightly caloused tanned hand open palmed to recieve a handshake, as he said, "its a pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name as well?" Kukkyona could only repress a sigh as his son was being as friendly as ever, never knowing when to be formal and when not to. Fortunately, the officer wasn't someone of a cold nature. She put on a small smirk, extending her own pale hand in order grasp his own, shaking his hand. "The name's Avaron. Sorry if I came off a little too rough, but the law around here just has a habit of picking on the newcomers. From what you're wearing, I take it you're from the Soul Society, right?" Kukkyona smiled slightly at the reveal of her own personal charm recieving Daisuke's handshake in kind with a smirk on her face, glad to see his son wasn't told down for his occasionally abrupt behavior. Daisuke this time did the talking, saying back as he regretfully let go of her soft hand, pointing at himself first, "Right, I understand how duty goes. I'm the Lieutenant of Squad 9 of the 13 Court Guard Squads, and my father is Captain of Squad 6. We came here for our anual leave, and decided to come here since the government has been reformed and more open to visitors." "So you've heard all about the Civil War and what-not." Avaron commented, nodding in approval and lowering her hand as soon as he let go. "Guess I don't need to waste time giving you a history lesson." Folding her arms across her chest, she passed a glance over towards the hotel. "Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here. Only tip I can give you is to watch the news." She emphasized her words with casual hand gestures. "Things tend to happen a lot, nothing big, but you'd want to keep yourself updated so you don't get caught off-guard." "That's probably due to the change of government policies, I'm sure," Kukkyona said back understandingly, earning a slight sideways glance from his son in a knowing way, before he turned back to smile brightly back at Avaron. She seemed like a caring woman, always looking out for the average citizen, but wanting to do things the 'right' way, by the rules and procedures. It was nice to see her giving them a tip, showing genuine concern for her Soul Society neighbours. "Nice meeting you, Avaron," Daisuke said after giving her a forefinger salute over his curious looking headband, which spelled out, 'Remember the Mourning,' in Kanji, before he let his hand down and turned around and began walking in step with his father, walking tall and surprisingly cheerful at meeting someone who didn't try to rush them off. He sneaked a one last glance with a open mouth of awe at her appearance before returning his gaze back in front of him, supressing a blush to crawl onto his features. "Easy there, Daisuke," Kukkyona said in a dry teasing tone, a small smirk was on the side of his face Daisuke couldn't see, as he finished, "if you're going to smile at every woman you meet, people are going to see you as more of a tourist than a member of a Noble House." "Is that such a bad thing?" Daisuke queried as he returned a content smile, as they crossed the street passing through a oncoming crowd of citizens, this time Daisuke didn't stop to greet every one of them much to Kukkyona's pleasure, as they entered the lobby through the alien revolving enttry door, making Daisuke look back at it a few times in pause, almost tempted to go back through it again, but Kukkyona cleared his throat in disapproval. "Let's keep things as professional as possible until we settle in, Daisuke," he said with a firm tone, but not edging in any annoyance, inwardly enjoying his son's antics even at the age he is in. He then nodded over to the clerk's desk, noting that there was no one there presently and there was a strange bell on the counter. They walked over the red carpet floor with small claps against their sandals, before Daisuke reached out and tapped the bell 7 times, earning a sigh from his father once more as they waited for someone to assist them in booking in. The Hotel "Ugh, how many damn times do I have to tell you people....!" Upon the seventh ring, the door behind the reception desk opened up to reveal a man in his sixties. He had gray hair covering his head, as well as a beard to cover his face. He was supporting himself on a cane, walking towards and stopping in front of the two with a rather irritated expression on his face. "That bell is not a toy, you only ring it once!" He scolded, fixing a glare at the younger of the Hayates. He had not seen who had actually rung it, but it was an automatic assumption that the younger were more naiive and foolish - at least, according to the old man. Daisuke smiled sheepishly at him before scratching the back of his head, sweatdropping at the man's gruff irritation, "I'm sorry...I've never seen one and I'm just a little curious...yeah, sorry, won't happen again." Kukkyona cleared his throat, trying to bring things back on track to avoid a needless confrontation, saying aloud to him, "I'm sorry for the abrupt entrance, but we have a booking for today until the undetermined future. Look up the name, 'Hayate,' and you'll find that the Noble House has already has things paid and accounted for." Grumbling, the old man put his cane right beside the desk and began to search through the book in front of him. "Noble, huh?" He muttered, a bit of skepticism within his tone. "Well, fortunately fer you, ya rich bastard, yer right! Yer things'r indeed paid fer and what-not. All that's left is to show you to yer rooms...." He pushed open the barrier that separated the two sides, grabbing his cane and walking over in order to meet them. "Follow me." "I appreciate you patience with us, for I'm sure you have many duties to fulfill that is on your mind," Kukkyona diplomatically asserted, hoping that a polite and respectful tone would calm the aging man that was guiding them to their rooms, while Daisuke sighed, inwardly not appreciating the impatient tone of the Hotel manager since they were the guests, so why shouldn't he at least try to extend some curteousy to them. The old man scoffed. "Me? Many duties? Hah! I'm an old man, decrepit and ready to expire at any given moment!" He replied, leading the way as they climbed up a flight of stairs. Their destination was the second floor. "Any more duties than just sitting at the desk all day would break my back!" "Shouldn't you hire help? Surely someone as advanced in your years should have more help around here," Daisuke asked, surprised this man was so out of shape and his age is as it looked, old and looking to retire. He was also shocked there was not many people around the lobby to assist him. Kukkyona followed silently, not questioning the man of this but letting his son, as empathetic as he was, he knew that he should communicate with the man as they walked down the hallway on the 2nd floor, as they were led by the old manager, his cane knocked against the floor with a 'thump' every 2 steps of his, showing his effort to keep moving that he had to make. "And I do!" The old man assured him, turning briefly over his shoulder to give an emphasizing motion with his free hand. "But they're all busy with their own devices. I only do this once in a while when I just don't feel like calling someone else up to do the work. It's just another way to pass the time...." At the end of his sentence, the thumping of his cane stopped, and he was now standing in front of the rooms. "And here it is...room 205." Leaning his cane against the wall, he fished into his coat pocket for something. "Now where the hell did I put that blasted-- ah! Here it is...." He fished out a card, turning around to hand it over to Kukkyona. "This is your official key to the door. Just stick it in the lock slot right-side up and it opens. We only have a few back-ups for it, so.... try not to lose ''this one, all right?" At the end of his words, his voice took on a more stern edge, as if he had went through this as an annoyance many times before. Kukkyona nodded in understanding, taking the card and the words of instruction to heart, knowing as alien as this particular lock design was, he knew how to follow procedure and orders. "I understand. Thank you, that will be all, sir," he said a crisp tone, getting slightly perturbed by the man's annoyance of them, letting him know he wouldn't take it to the point of abuse for too long, letting his eyes grow cold for a moment at the elder man's before turning over and correctly inserting the key card. After a beep and a glow from red to green, the door unlocked audibly from the inside, allowing him to pull it out and enter the room swiftly, leaving Daisuke to follow behind. After the young man offered a smile and a brief thanks to the man, they entered into a extravagant suite of the hotel, or what would pass off as extravagant for the city. It composed of two queen sized beds with silk bed sheets as requested by Kukkyona himself, along with a clean trim, crimson carpet, with a end table seperating the two beds with a lamp and a unusually modern looking clock with digital numbers displayed on its matte black plastic and glass surface, additionally inserted on a open bottom end of the endtable was a miniature fridge. The walls were a contrasting beige, and the sheets on the beds were crimson as well, with black bed frame and posts. Across from the beds directly to their left was a rather large step-in bathroom, a glass blurred barrier seperated the expanse between the bedroom and the bathroom for privacy, and within it, was a generously sized jacuzzi, another foreign comfort but would be guessed to be a hot bath of sorts. Beyond it was a shower to the right corner that had a red curtain that was held up by metal rings, and another one that was seperated by a glass slide open doors in a pair. Past the bedroom was a hearth with a large 42 inch screen TV with a remote laying in between two medium sized couches both in burgundy color on a oak table with cup holders extended on a black metal rack. The last thing to notice was a pair of screen-sliding doors that opened up to a bountifully extended balcony with several white chairs, a white table on in between the two with a similar cup holder attachment but only in white, with a wine fridge to the far right of the balcony nearby. With the lack of kitchen, it was only assumed that everything was a carry-in and ordered from room service. "Wow...you certainly knew how to make appearances known," Daisuke said as he let a low whistle out, examining the entirety of the suite, looking around and smiling gleefully at all the foreign but apparent extravagances inside, making sure to cover every inch of the place before stopping at the balcony. He put his hands out onto the white colored balcony, looking outwards to the bustling city below and across to the neighbouring suite balconies bordering, below, and above their own. "Nice view," he said with a smile on his face, upon hearing his father join him outside as he stood near his son, looking at all the sites as well. "We should really go over what our first sites to visit should be," Kukkyona said insistantly, but not at all terse, understanding the entirely foreign city they were at was truly spectacular to the beholder, totally alien in appearances and technology compared to the Soul Society they resided in. "Oh, and I did forget to mention!" The door opened once again, revealing the old man's face. "They say a peculiar incident happened in the capital city. One of the buildings was covered in this well-done graffiti, what with artistic swirls, almost realistic eyes, and everything! Covered the whole damn side of it, too! Funny thing is, they say it was done overnight without anyone watching. Probably nothing you'd be concerned with, but rumors are going on that Red Sun's finally come to Yuurei." Daisuke gasped, feeling his hands grip the handrail suddenly, his knuckles on the verge of cracking from excitement and surrprise, not expecting to have to deal with that, until later. However, being the composed Noble Head he is, Kukkyona only ushered a slightly interested tone, saying, "Oh...that is interesting. I guess that should be our first stop to check out after we get settled. Thank you for the information, sir," he nodded to him before returning back to Daisuke's side, sideways glancing at him briefly before saying, "its time we look into this ourselves." "Right," Daisuke said in a serious tone, looking over his shoulder to make sure the old man was gone, before he followed in sync with his father in a blurring motion of a Flash Step, leaving the balcony exactly as they left it, and moving at a rapid pace all the way over to the site, stopping just 20 yards short of it, so they didn't arouse suspicion of their abrupt arrival, taking time to walk deliberately casual. Their approach quickened slightly as they saw the unmistakeable markings of the Red Sun. "It seems the work of cultists...perhaps used as a vanguard for the real organization," Kukkyona noticed, knowing the elusive and mysterious organization wouldn't purposely vandalize a piece of public property in such a fashion. "Agreed...it almost seems they're trying to proclaim something. Or a warning," Daisuke began to audibly prod and guess, stroking his chin with his right hand while propping the elbow with his left hand, making sure his voice is as hushed and subtle as his father's, so they wouldn't get any questioning looks besides for their appearance. Through one of the buildings, a cloaked figure was peeking through to the bottom level, eyeing the two in a studious manner. The window was closed, so they would not be able to hear what he was saying. The lights were also turned off, so that the two would not spot his figure within the darkness. A heavy sigh came from his lips, and he raised a finger to his hidden earpiece. He clicked it on, continuing to keep an eye on the two as he did so. "This is Sonoda to Setsuko, do you copy?" He asked calmly. ''"Roger that, Sonoda. What's the status report?" Came a female voice on the other end. "It seems like the two Seireitei Shinigami have caught on to the art on Road 701." Sonoda answered, eyes narrowing. "And from the looks of things, I'd pretty much say that they know what they're looking at." "Shit...." Came the curse from the other end, clearly irritated at the events. "Great, so our policy of containment is going to be a bit harder than I thought. This is what I get for being nice - a foot up my ass, courtesy of fate itself!" "What do you want me to do, ma'am? Should we silence them?" "Negative. They're still allies according to the treaty. We're not in a position to apprehend them. Just keep an eye on them, and make sure they understand the policy we're trying to run. But do not, I repeat, do NOT allow them to know that we're aware." "Roger that. Sonoda out." With that, Sonoda switched the connection to another frequency, commuting with the local patrol around the area. "Squad 3-1, there are two civilians near the point of interest, move them out of there." The police officers immediately responded with a discreet nod, and the ones that were nearby - a total of five to be exact, changed their direction and approached the two Shinigami. Interrogation Kukkyona began to memorize the patterns and the symbols decorated and enamored in the wild display over the area of the 'art' was painted. It seemed like a form of code to himself, as well as a date, and a prophecy. He didn't pick up much else from it, nor was given too much time as Daisuke noticed from the corner of his eye, and Kukkyona himself felt their presences move towards them. "Looks like someone doesn't want us looking at the beautiful art that's on display," Daisuke said lowly, a little humor was in his tone, but not displayed on his face, as Kukkyona saw them coming towards them. He decided to be the first to speak. "Hello officers. Is there a problem?" He asked in a polite manner, truly curious what their intentions were, even if he had guesses as to what they were about to do. "No civilians are authorized to be near this building." One of them spoke up, stepping out of the group that were now facing them down. "That includes the two of you." The hood was over the face so they could not see the expression or appearance, but the voice was that of a male. As Kukkyona expected, he narrowed his eyes at the order, not one to give up his own personal investigations due to simple obstacles. Daisuke spoke up first, pointing out the obvious, as he looked around gesturing with his hands, "I see no police barrier has been set up, and this thing has been going on for what, hours? You guys aren't that organized if you just now want to send people away...and don't pretend I didn't see you loitering over there looking suspicious yourselves-" "Whose orders are you following? I demand to speak to your superiors," Kukkyona inerrupted, in a commanding tone, one with the air of importance and seriousness, his eyes narrowed coldly at the one who spoke to them first. This tone made the officers react in surprise, perking up with various expressions of surprise. Clearly, they had not been expecting such challenging words to come from a civilian, of all people. That immediately gave off the warning sign that they weren't normal people. Such mannerisms were displayed only by that of a leader, one who had experience in a high position. It was believed by them that a stand-off was initated by the show of defiance. However, what made them wary also made the hooded leader annoyed. "You are in no position to be demanding anything, civilian"." He spoke with a sharp tone to match Kukkyona's own, raising a finger up in a warning gesture. "This area is under inspection and this policy has been enforced long before you arrived here. As such, you have no authorization being here. Move away.... or you will be dealt with accordingly. This is your final warning." Daisuke tensed at the threat, seeing the leader of the group showed that they'd use physical force, and as changed the government has been, it would not bode well for the Hayate Noble House to have to intervene on their behalf due to complications they could've avoided. "Was the order given by Officer Avaron?" Kukkyona asked curiously, his terse tone was still laced within his voice, but this one was almost suspected that there could be a connection to the officer they met this morning, the only one who stopped them out of the dozens of officers they've seen upon entry into the city, was almost too coinidential. "....no." The hooded leader said simply, lapsing into silence afterwards. It was clear that they understood what they were facing. However, if the questions were answered, cooperation would be much more likely, and they would leave without trouble. If that was the case, then they were now free to ask the questions they wanted. "Why is this place closed off? Obviously vandalism is a crime in any civilized society, but I'm sure you're aware that those markings up there belong to the elusive and infamous organization, the Red Sun. IS that why you're keeping us from observing, or is this a personal request from a single superior officer?" Kukkyona asked in a perceptive and now enlightened tone, seeing that the leader of the visibly hooded leader of the policemen only said no, and didn't respond afterwards, not furthering on forcing them away...for the moment. This visibly relaxed Daisuke a little bit. For now, thanks to his father's keen observation and the knowing of the organization's unwanted presence, would probably warrant anyone, even extinguished guests such as themselves from the Soul Society's 13 Court Guard Squads, due to some unknown reason the Red Sun was involved long before they arrived.... "This area...." The lead officer gestured to the building. "....is under quarantine. The markings represent many things, and a possible aim to establish an agent within the city is one of them. This is for your own safety, in order to ensure that civilians are not affected by these potential.... infections." "You mean propaganda," Daisuke corrected, crossing his arms, full well knowing that a cult was possibly responsible. Kukkyona now fully understood what the markings mean now. It was a calling card...a sign to the one they seek to further their cause, their aim to 'Utopia' or 'Paradise' for their 'gods' to take over and establish. This agent, would cause a lot of trouble for the city, and perhaps even further to the Soul Society, with them being allies, problems the Red Suns, even if it was a fringe cultist element, would bring a lot of problems between the city's allies and their diplomatic tensions would be strained. "I undestand now. Would you please take me to the officer who ordered you to evict us from the premises. We have a...interest in these matters that would greatly benefit their effort in halting any further infection ''to this city and past it," Kukkyona said in a serious but more convincing tone, not so terse when he commanded them to ask who they were ordered by. "....." The hooded officer was silent for a moment... but only for a moment. Lifting a finger up to his own personal earpiece and clicked it on. '"Sir--"'' "I heard him." Walking steadily across the road was a young man in his teenage years, walking steadily towards the group. His own personal cloak billowed steadily as he approached, a rather calm and casual expression on his features. He had black, shoulder-length hair that ended in what seemed to be razor edges. His blue eyes were analyzing and observant, hiding no emotion but a relaxed attitude. Kukkyona observed the man heading in their direction with equal composure, looking him straight in the eyes, not bothering to take in his full attire but noticed he was a man of young age, confidence, and experience to boot. He seemed to be a man who knows his job and his procedures, but perhaps from the following interactions with his now apparent subordinates, he's willing to make compromises. "I apologize for any inconvienance we have cause, this matter is rather important to us at the moment," Kukkyona said in a diplomatic tone, no longer bearing the terse and commanding tone it did, before he bowed his head halfway, letting his scarlet locks fall over his brow before righting itself as inclined his head back up, "my name is Kukkyona Hayate, Head of the Hayate Noble Family of the Seireitei, and this," he extended his hand over to a presently curious expressed young man with orange hair and blinking eyes at the young man, who looked actually almost younger than he does with the position he had, "is Daisuke, my son and next in line for the Noble Head of our family." Kenta gave a respectful nod to the both of them. "It's quite the pleasure meeting the rich folk to the capital city." He commented, putting on a small smile. "To what do I owe the honor?" Now it was out in the open - they were not just simple tourists. Such folk tended to be on business, which clearly involved the potential appearance of Red Sun. "Officially, we're off duty, as you can see, we're not wearing our Shihakushō, our standard uniforms when on duty as Soul Reapers," Daisuke said with a simple gesture by pinching the sleeve on his opposing arm, clearly showing that they didn't wear the garments Soul Reapers would if on duty. A Lieutenant would also be required to wear his/her Lieutenant badge as well, and the Captain on occasions to represent his/her position, the Haori coat as well. "But as you can see, we still wear our Zanpakuto, due to the relationship we have with our weapons," Kukkyona placed his palms casually on the partially concealed Zanpakuto's pommels, the sound of his brushing it, caused the swords to make soft clicking sounds as they were moved slightly in their sash held knots and sheathes. "So the real question is...what would a couple of Soul Reapers of Nobility would be doing touring a city, that has a potentially bad habit of things 'happening' around here 'a lot'," Daisuke said, putting up his two forefingers on each hand in visible gestured quotes, as an example. "Officially, you're off duty, as you say...." Kenta said. "But obviously, that doesn't stop you from doing your job." Then, he shifted his attention to the squad behind the two. With a hand gesture, he sent the message for the team to disperse. They obeyed immediately, walking back towards their separate paths. In turn, Kenta himself turned back towards the two remaining. "Regardless.... I'm afraid this situation is out of your hands, elder. The Seireitei's interference will only serve to hinder our own progress in this investigation." As he was speaking, there was a lone woman walking in a slow, casual gait past the scene. However, she slowed down, blue eyes drifting towards the scene with somewhat of an interested eye. She turned around and leaned her back against the wall of the building parallel with the sprayed one, crossing her legs and folding her arms across her chest. Her mouth was contorted into somewhat of a frown, her eyes half-lidded in a casually bored fashion. "Two weeks ago, the Stealth Force had recovered information from their Deep Cover Ops splinter cell they established a squad of their's to investigate suspected movements. The plans were the infilration of this city...and its possible annhiliation," Kukkyona added with a dark air in his voice, as he was now deadly serious about the situation, his eyes cold and narrow as he observed the young man before him, letting him know just how serious this was. "The Deep Cover Ops squad that was following up information were dead when they found them, killed by an unknown element with unfamiliar residual Spiritual energy residing on their persons. It was only luck that all Deep Cover Ops ingest special capsules with all the information that was acquired, and the enemy didn't count on that fact. We managed to exctract it untampered thanks to the Department of Research and Development," Daisuke commented, moving to the side, putting his hands in his sash's space, hooking it with his thumbs and looking expectantly at him. Although, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman not too far away, leaning against the building parallel to the one that was under quarantine and vandalized. She was looking at their direction, frowning. She looked creepy, but beyond that, Daisuke felt something ebbing from her body that didn't feel right. Such a menacing energy...it feels like...Spiritual Pressure?! ''Daisuke was alarmed, his eyes widened as his met the girl's, having a bad feeling about this. A frown crossed Kenta's face at the thoughts. It bothered him that the Stealth Force had been spying on their city for movement, giving off the impression that the enforcement was incapable of watching themselves. But what was the ''real problem was the mention of invasion. Sure, their military could handle a war, but one on their home front would be devastating to the city. He motioned with his hands in a questioning shrug. "Did your decoders manage to slice anything else, other than the possibility of invasion? Details about it, per say?" The alarmed stare didn't seem to go by the woman unnoticed. She cocked an eyebrow, raising her arms out briefly in what looked like a shrug. However, the manner in which she put it clearly emphasized a taunt, as if she was aware of his senses and taunting him to do something about it. Her frown curled upward into a slight smirk in order to add to that fact, but she remained silent as she re-folded her arms across her chest. Kukkyona having not paid attention to the young woman beyond the scope of his vision, but felt the eery presence all the same, but concentrated on the subject on hand, reaching into the sleeve of his coat, pulling out a cereal sized capsule, with a small needle sliver of a digitized screen on the body of it on either side, a small pint sized hole was on the edge of the rice shaped capsule. He raised it up to eye level, so that Kenta could see it clearly, a series of numbers trailed along in a continuous code, "This was specialized by 12th Division to be almost nigh decodable, but this copy here I have the passwords needed to bypass it. The codes that you're asking about that we managed to download had mentions of dates, locations, and what appears to be a countdown in how much time this needs to be done. This," he waved a hand at the marked building, "was one of the first goals needed to complete their objective." Daisuke clenched his fist, definitely seeing that the woman was trying to feign ignorance to her possible involvement and her apparent appearance being ignorantly avoided by the other supposedly 'vigiliant' policemen. He looked to his father, and then to Kenta, then back to the woman, seeing as no one was paying attention to what he was doing, he quickly moved back behind Kukkyona and around them before disappearing into the building's shadows, approaching the girl with a purposed, quick walk, his sandals quietly tapped the ground as he knit his brows in a serious stare, his hands moved in sync with his steps, as he gained distance between her and her leaning spot on the building parallel to the scene they were at. Time to get some answers, ''Daisuke decided as he called out to her, "Hey you! I need to ask you a few questions!" "Well, that's most impressive, elder...." Kenta complimented, taking a step back and shifting his position. "If that's the case....then Yūrei needs to know what's at hand." He lowered his hand, palm facing upwards the sky and level with his waist in a motion waiting for Kukkyona to hand over the capsule. "If you don't mind, I'll take it to headquarters for decoding and analysis. Do you happen to have the one with the actual information on it on you?" "Oh, get off my ''dick...." Clearly, the woman did not like the approach that the boy made. Pushing herself off of the wall, she turned with a natural gait and walked off in a moderately brisk manner. However, she did spare one last glance behind her at the scene. "I'm afraid not. If that were so simple, and it was retrieved from me or destroyed, then anyone would know what information I possess about the Red Suns. That would be...unfortunate if someone found out about it who had the wrong intentions, wouldn't it?" He asked, in a almost knowing tone, seeing that if Kenta had the actual information on hand, he would urge him to depart so they would work alone on this matter. Daisuke was not relented by the woman's vulgar statement, walking faster before he decided to forgo the so-called 'chase' initializing a Flash Step with a right foot forward, reappearing behind her, reaching out within the instant he 'stepped', and grasped her right arm firmly, "I was talking to you! Who are you and what are you doing?!" It was at the perfect moment for violence. WHAM! The woman's body twisted in reverse, her left fist swung in a backhand move and colliding with his jaw. In turn, the force caused him to release his grip on her arm and throw him against the ground with a clear display of attack power. The sound immediately cut off whatever Kenta was about to say next, and he turned to see the girl glaring down at Daisuke with her fists clenched at her side. The nearby officers had immediately snapped to attention, and as fast as lightning, moved in positions to intervene. One officer immediately kneeled down to Daisuke's level in order to check on him. The female was glaring at the male in fury, seemingly oblivious to the police around her. Her teeth were gritted slightly in a defiant scowl, and her breathing was slightly audible. Her heart was pumping rapidly in her chest, fueled by the anger that she was feeling. "You little bastard...!!!" She snarled. "How dare you think you can grab me like that?! I've got no obligation to answer to the likes of you!!!" Daisuke swore he actually tasted blood in his mouth as he felt himself hit by a backhand strike, even going as far as falling to the ground and releasing his grip on her arm. Kukkyona felt the use of his Flash Step, looking slightly over to see the commotion, observing it, then went back to crossing his arms, watching from afar to see what would happen next. Daisuke shook off the officer, spitting the blood out before he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, before glaring at the girl, pointing at her saying, "What the hell was that for?! If you simply stopped I wouldn't have grabbed you! Talk now, I know you're involved in this somehow! Who are you?!" "Fuck!! You!!" The woman raised her fists up in the air and swung them down in a display of frustration and anger. "If you dare touch me like that again, I don't give a damn about the police, I. Will. KILL YOU!!!" That being said, she turned around and stormed off, eager to leave the scene behind as quickly as possible. "You know something!" Daisuke angrily and almost out of characteristically, reached out with his palm, uttering lowly, "Bakudo #1, Sai," sending the spell at her, her arms moving restrictively behind her, locking them in place to make movement almost near difficult. "Answer my questions and I'll leave you alone, depending on your involvement in the situation you interfered with," Daisuke said as he walked towards her, resting a hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, making sure to be ready to restrain her at any cost. He knew there was something off about her, and even if she wasn't an agent of the Red Sun, he wanted to know why she was here in the first place. "!!!!!" Needless to say, she was taken off-guard by the sudden action, letting out a surprised gasp as she lost control of arms. She fell to the ground on her knees, and she caught herself sitting on the back of one of her legs. She jerked her head around to look behind her in surprise at the invisible bindings. Then, her eyes narrowed, a disdainful scowl decorating her face. Overall, her entire expression was that of a defeated look. She pushed herself off of her own legs, leaning back against the stone wall of the building behind her with one leg over the other. "You've got some nerve, kid...." She said scathingly, directing her ice-blue eyes towards Daisuke as he once again approached her. "My name, if you have to know, is Sakura Hojima, and I didn't know it counted as interference to just sit back and watch such a wasteful argument take place." "It is when the place is sealed off in a quarantine with cultist signs on it...what's your interest in the markings?! All the other civilians should've left by now, and I can feel a great deal of spiritual pressure emanating from you, meaning your not JUST a civilian. Make it easy on yourself, I'm not in the habit of hurting women, but if you don't give me answers, I will use force," Daisuke said definitely, glaring angrily and suspiciously into her eyes that stared coldly back at him. Kukkyona managed to walk over to the scene, believing that Kenta would follow or understand his own interest, moving past Daisuke to step in front of the woman himself, he stared cooly and almost indifferently at her, asking in a almost knowing way, "Why are you spying on the comings and goings of the Red Sun's 'signs'?" Sure enough, Kenta did follow him, his own footsteps carrying their calm and usual gait. However, because of their situation at hand, he remained silent for a moment and folded his arms across his chest. He only allowed his ears to listen to Sakura's responses. "And now you all are accusing me of spying. Is this the usual policy the police go by? Detaining random civilians out of paranoia?" She leaned her head back against the wall. "I was not even within the quarantine lines. Ask the fucking boss over there.... that's why you didn't see the police officers coming down on me as hard as you did." Kukkyona suddenly narrowed his eyes at her, analyzing her face, briefly her figure and attire but her face... "I know you...Sakura Hojima...you're on the suspect list of the Stealth Force's Top Targets to be detained or eliminated. You go by another persona that you would not revealed at this time, yes? Perhaps you can tell us the REAL reason why you were just 'minding your own buisness' here?" He crossed his arms, his arms folded alongside each other inside his coat's sleeves, staring her down and not looking to budge to any retort unlike his currently hot tempered son who could only watch his father take over the situation. At first, Sakura did not speak. Her eyes were widened in a shocked stare at Kukkyona as he spoke the words. There was a tense moment of silence, and it was deafening enough for everyone to hear the wind blow. Calmly, Kenta took out his own revolver and spun it around on his finger, his own eyes staring intensely at the woman. So it was very obvious the Stealth Force had been nosying in a lot lately - a rather annoying thing to know. However, it was obvious that the results had been all too fruitful for complaint. The woman lowered her head, her hair overshadowing her eyes. Then, she took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, her tone becoming somewhat bitter. "All right...fine. You got me, I guess....." She muttered. "But the Stealth Force clearly didn't tell you one thing about me. I was part of Red Sun's cult sub-groups for a good while. But.... their ideals.... their goal.... it was just too crazy for me to bear. So I defected and hid out in this city, hoping that the Stealth Force wouldn't find me here. But I guess now it's too much to ask...." To add onto this statement, she smiled weakly. "Those markings.... they're a warning for what's to come." "What things to come? I know only pieces of the puzzle that the Red Sun has crafted...and even less about their real objectives in the city. THAT marked building is supposed to be the first many to come, and then someone is supposed to be summoned, 'scout' or 'search' the city for whatever reason, and if the city is deemed a threat to their 'utopia' its destruction is almost garunteed in their schemes. Tell me, where is the nearest headquarters of any Fringe elements involved in this cultist scheme of theirs," Kukkyona said with a sense of urgency, but his plain coolness and calm tranquil stare into her eyes was held firm. "I....I don't know." Sakura shook her head, closing her eyes. Her voice was slightly distraught, and it was clear that she did not like the position she was in. "I told you I'm not involved with them anymore. Besides, even if I did.... it's not like they'd tell their own members. We're all kept in the fucking secrecy." Kukkyona stroked his chin for a moment, closing his eyes, breathing in deeply before breathing out, as he took this into thought. Daisuke almost felt bad for questioning her so harshly, if he totally believed her story, but the sadness and terrifed expressions she bore didn't seem to be rehearsed from the way she acted earlier, she seemed to be just acting out of fear and anger. Kukkyona then took a step forward stretching out his pointer finger of his right hand, tapping it against her head, surging a small amount of Spiritual energy into it, undoing the low-level Bakudo with ease, her arms should regain movement and her body not weighed down anymore, "I believe you. I'm sorry for the abruptness and rude intervention on our behalf. If you'd like, you may leave now and we won't bother you again, unles you involve yourself...unless you feel the need to help us?" He asks as he began to turn, his eyes sideglance her as he turned to face Kenta, but still held a sideways stance towards her, in case she had a change of heart. If not, it was not consequence to himself or their investigation, for her confession just gave him the proof he needed that this was indeed a serious threat. "What about her little record with the Stealth Force?" Kenta asked immediately, raising his hands up in a light shrug. He turned briefly to watch Sakura slowly get up, dusting herself off from the dirt that had gathered on her when she had fallen, before turning his eyes back to Kukkyona. "Are you going to find a way to dismiss the charges against her?" Kukkyona crossed his arms, giving a half shrug of his own as he said, "I'm the Captain of Squad 6. A recommendation from myself can move mountains if used properly and through legal channels. Plus, she's only a suspect, the Stealth Force's policies have always been a little...extreme, for good reason. However, seeing as she's not a part of this particular epidemic as it were, I see no reason to see to it any suspicions the Stealth Force, ergo Squad 2 has against her." Daisuke walked towards her as Kukkyona said this, scratching his neck and saying in a sheepish smile, "I'm...sorry for getting on you so hard, Sakura. I do want to thank you for helping us in our investiation as well, though I am sorry I used such harsh measures to obtain it," he looked away shyly, rubbing the slight angry red mark that formed on his left cheek, the throbbing inside had died down during the conversation that Kukkyona had with the girl, and he really saw he deserved that hit. However, once everything seemed to fall back to normal, Sakura's lip curled in an scowl of disdain and disgust. She placed her hand on hip, scoffing and turning away from him. "Whatever...." She said vehemently, before turning back to the father of the two. "So, if I'm to help.... what exactly am I supposed to do now? Am I free to leave, or do I have to go somewhere first....?" Kenta spoke up once again, twisting his revolver around before sticking it back in its holster in a Western-style movement. Taking his hand off the gun, he raised a finger to point at her. "If this is the path in which things are going, then I believe I'm going to have to borrow a moment more of your time." In response, he earned a aggravated groan and raised his hands up in a calming manner. "It's nothing big, just a case of a few more questions. After that, you're free to leave to your own devices." Daisuke scoffed, this girl really getting on his nerves just turning away from her totally, crossing his arms, "Tch...whatever. Don't know why I even bothered to try to be nice to you..." "I will accompany you so that you can have the information you desire from my end," Kukkyona decided as he nodded towards Kenta, knowing Kenta still needed him in order to decode the information, but it would be a relatively smooth process due to him possessing the codes in doing so. "And what about your offspring?" Kenta questioned, cocking a slight eyebrow and motioning to the said Daisuke. Daisuke almost growled, looking sternly at Kenta, saying, "I do have a name, you know. Its Daisuke-" "He is a member of the Deep Cover Ops, particulary, on the Reserve membership," Kukkyona said with no personal feeling in what he said, almost as if it needed to be said, though the sudden solemn look on Daisuke's face told a different story, "he naturally has a personal part in this investigation, thus why it was suited for both of us to come on this...investigation." "Ah....I understand." Kenta closed his eyes, nodding appropriately. He spun on his heel, raising his thumb and index finger to his lips. Closing his eyes, he blew on those fingers and let out a loud whistle. Then, he lowered his hand and waited patiently. Only several seconds had to pass before a white, massive bird swooped down from the skies and stopped, landing elegantly in front of the three. It was big enough to accompany up to five passengers on its back, just enough for the ones who were coming. "Uh...." Sakura was the first to speak up, clearly dumbfounded at the sight. "What exactly is....?" Kenta passed a small grin over her direction, even as he hopped onto the bird's front. "Our preferred method of transportation in the city." He answered. "Hop on and I'll take us to HQ." The orange haired woman could only stare for a moment more, before closing her eyes and sighing. "Oh, Kami....." She muttered in disapproval, walking over and letting out a grunt of her own as she hopped on right behind Kenta. Daisuke only blinked owlishly at the sight as the large bird approached, glad that the unusual distraction sent the bad feelings he had away, quickly walking over and leapt up, making sure to keep his hands off the hostile girl in front of him, with Kukkyona deftly landing onto the bird almost weightlessly. Daisuke looked side-to-side, asking aloud, "How do you get it started?" "Don't worry about tha--" Kenta's assuring statement was cut off by the girl's arms wrapping themselves around his mid-section. He cocked his eyebrow in what appeared to be a mixture of disbelief and a non-verbal statement of Seriously? He started to turn his head over his shoulder in order to question her about it, but her next statement immediately cut him off. "This thing doesn't have seat belts, and I will be damned if I fly off hundreds of feet to my own death." "And you think I'm in a situation different from yours, Hojima-san?" "Well, obviously, considering you've flown for who knows how long!" A laughing scoff escaped his lips. "Whatever floats your boat...." The Devil's Rubrix He turned back towards the bird, letting out another whistle. Immediately, it spread its wings and boosted itself off the ground, flying to gain altitude. It only took several seconds for it to reach the skies once again. The speed caught Sakura off-guard, and she instinctively ducked behind him in order to keep the winds from hitting her face. TO her surprise, it was just like sitting in a car - she wasn't being affected by the wind, other than the fact that it was blowing on her body. Opening her eyes wide and looking off to the side, she almost dropped her jaw at the fact that they were now hundreds of feet into the air above the city. Daisuke was caught also by surprise, leaning backwards and grasping onto the feathers of the body of the bird, suddenly feeling the wind blow around him, but not cause a blast like he expected. He quickly adjusted, smiling widely as he saw the distance quickly covered by the amazing bird, seeing the city far below them. "This is incredible!" Daisuke said with a near-child-like enthusiasm, smiling widely as he looked both sides of the bird as they flew across the skies of the metropolitan city, even catching a glance of the castle. "Quite impressive. How available are your mounts to your officers?" Kukkyona asked curiously, visibly unfazed by the whole ordeal, at peace and naturally seated on the bird as if he's ridden it before. "Depends on what you mean by "mounts"!" Kenta answered, lifting a finger up to his earpiece. "How many birds are available to your policeforce? Surely there must be plenty of them from how many men we've seen upon just entering the city," Kukkyona rephrased, not at all irked at being corrected, understanding that Kenta must hold a certain amount of pride for the beautiful creatures they use. "Hey, are you okay?" Daisuke whispered to the girl in front of him, determined to befriend her regardless of their heated encounter earlier. He noticed she hadn't let go of Kenta, despite of how safe it really was on the fair beast. "Oh, right. In that case, we have a full stock of them at headquarters! It's pretty much a garage of cars - only with birds!" This statement was followed by a light chuckle. "It's the best form of air transportation we have around Yūrei, and they're pretty much the backbone of messaging and cargo-shipping. We didn't have these around, we would have some pretty big problems!" As Kenta continued to speak, Sakura turned her head over her shoulder, her eyes half-lidded and slightly narrowed at the boy behind her. "....yeah...." She muttered sarcastically, though a bit of uneasiness could be heard out of her voice. "....never been better....." To tell if she was still angry at the earlier encounter or not was difficult, however. Kukkyona nodded, a small smile of awe came across his stoic features, as he looked at the bird in detail, saying, "I forget how the Soul Society is mostly ground based in nature, when it comes to both military and economic standards. Most Soul Reapers create Spiritual planes underneath their feet or around their bodies to keep them airborne, so we really don't think air transportation as a need. This ingenuity of using these fair birds is quite the amazing feat." "Don't worry," Daisuke said in a empathetic tone, still caring about her current condition almost as if she was nautious or something, not knowing if she was still angry from earlier, but he made sure not to touch her this time, "we should be there shortly, right?" He asked Kenta up ahead with a slightly raised voice, wondering how long this ride would last. "Yeah!" Kenta called back to the younger Hayate, swiftly turning back around and looking in the direction of the flight in order to keep focus. "We'll be there within several minutes or less..." Although they were hundreds of feet in the air, the bird could still be seen flying through the air in the mostly clear afternoon skies that were slowly descending into night. As the four continued to fly into their destination, a cloaked figure could be seen standing on one of the buildings and staring at the bird as it disappeared into the clouds. It spoke nothing, standing stock still. Then, it slowly turned and walked away, back down the steps of the building he had entered. The End Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Category:Fanfiction Category:Bleach: The Children of Izanami Category:Roleplay